Apple Maps = iOS only?!

CZroe · 01-16-2013, 07:52 PM

I think it's strange that Apple Maps are only accessible on iOS. I might understand if it was Safari-only or Mac-only, but just how am I supposed to submit a correct or even tell if they have something right in the first place if I'm not an iOS user?

Basically, I recently started working at a new site (Caterpillar Logistics) and I noticed that they turn away hundreds of trucks a month from their truck gate. Sure enough, Google Maps showed that it was the entrance for a Kellogg's warehouse. It is very difficult for trucks to turn around. I see tons of damage all around from past incidents and I know they are going to hit my car or hurt someone someday if it isn't fixed. It seems that the error is propagated to offline databases as well so I'd like to correct it on as many as I can. I can't believe Google had not already fixed this. After all, their navigation app has a "destination not here" option to tap when you arrive. Did no one seriously use that function?! Ugh.

I guess I'll have to see if my brother's iOS stuff gets it right or has the option to report the error if it gets it wrong. I think Google kinda requires you to use the web browser to do anything more than "destination not here," so I hope Apple's has better reporting functionality. I know data collection and mining are big business and they each work hard to have a leg up on the others as far as accuracy and wealth of data but, as far as safety goes, they should make an exception and have procedures in place to share safety concerns with competitors and offline databases.

Edit: Only about 25 minutes after I reported it to Google, an SUV pulled up and sat there on the side of the road for ~10 minutes making notes with the interior light on. I've read all about how they do things in the data center but I wonder if they happened to have someone in the area to do a manual verification? It could just be something unrelated, but I thought it was strange enough to mention. Weird.

Ichinisan · 01-16-2013, 11:02 PM

I think the data is sourced from Garmin or TomTom. Haven't finished reading your post yet.

Ichinisan · 01-16-2013, 11:08 PM

Easy:

CZroe · 01-16-2013, 11:11 PM

Maybe you didn't quite understand: my complaint is not that it's hard to do on an iOS device, it's that they do not provide any way to do it without one.

Ichinisan · 01-16-2013, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CZroe

Maybe you didn't quite understand: my complaint is not that it's hard to do on an iOS device, it's that they do not provide any way to do it without one.

Report it to TomTom.

CZroe · 01-16-2013, 11:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ichinisan

Report it to TomTom.

Because they did not provide any access to the service without an iOS device, I can't confirm that it is wrong with TomTom in the first place and I would not know that I even could report it to TomTom to correct Apple maps if I didn't have access to one through you.

mugs · 01-17-2013, 08:52 AM

You think truck drivers are using a cell phone for GPS? You're wasting your time here.

CZroe · 01-17-2013, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mugs

You think truck drivers are using a cell phone for GPS? You're wasting your time here.

No, I don't which is why I said that they should have a safety protocol in the industry that propagates to competitors in matters like this. If they don't even expose a way for me to submit an online correction and I don't even know who has it wrong, I'm not about to buy a bunch of off-line GPSes to check their data for them.

TuxDave · 01-17-2013, 12:02 PM

Give me a search term/location and I'll confirm if it reports it as a Kellogg's Warehouse. How about that?